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Johnny Bench
Catcher

1967-83 Cincinnati Reds

  • Won 2 National League Most Valuable Player awards, 1970 and 1972.

  • Was named to 14 All Star teams. Batted .409 with 3 home runs in All Star play over the course of his career.

  • Won 2 home run crowns.

  • Led the NL in RBIs three times.

  • Considered the greatest defensive catcher of all time by many, Bench popularized the one-handed style of catching that is prevalent in baseball today.

  • Bench also was the first catcher to wear a protective helmet behind the plate.

  • Hit two home runs in game four of the 1976 World Series, leading the Reds to a sweep of the New York Yankees. Bench hit .533 with 6 RBI in that series.

  • Threw out Mickey Rivers while he was attempting to steal second base in the first inning of the 1976 World Series. The Yankees did not attempt another steal the entire series.

  • Held the record for most homers by a catcher with 327 while playing the position. The record has since been broken by the durable Carlton Fisk.


1977 magazine featuring Bench on the cover

  • Appeared in 4 World Series--1970, 1972, 1975, and 1976--including two world championship teams (75, 76.)

  • Was a key member of the "Big Red Machine," the 1975-76 Reds, considered to be one of the greatest teams in baseball history.

  • Had a fantastic throwing arm, he once bragged, "I can throw out any man alive."

  • Was the first catcher to ever be selected as Rookie of the Year, 1968.

  • Elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989.
YR TM L POS G AB R H HR RBI AVG OBP SLG
1967 Cin N C 26 86 7 14 1 6 .163 .209 .256
1968 Cin N C 154 564 67 155 15 82 .275 .315 .433
1969 Cin N C 148 532 83 156 26 90 .293 .357 .487
1970 Cin N C-1-3-O 158 605 97 177 45 148 .293 .351 .587
1971 Cin N C-1-3-O 149 562 80 134 27 61 .238 .300 .423
1972 Cin N C-1-3-O 147 538 87 145 40 125 .270 .386 .541
1973 Cin N C-1-3-O 152 557 83 141 25 104 .253 .350 .429
1974 Cin N C-1-3 160 621 108 174 33 129 .280 .365 .507
1975 Cin N C-1-O 142 530 83 150 28 110 .283 .363 .519
1976 Cin N C-1-O 135 465 62 109 16 74 .234 .350 .394
1977 Cin N C-1-3-O 142 494 67 136 31 109 .275 .353 .540
1978 Cin N C-1-O 120 393 52 102 23 73 .260 .345 .483
1979 Cin N C-1 130 464 73 128 22 80 .276 .367 .459
1980 Cin N C 114 360 52 90 24 68 .250 .330 .483
1981 Cin N C-1 52 178 14 55 8 25 .309 .369 .489
1982 Cin N C-1-3 119 399 44 103 13 38 .258 .321 .396
1983 Cin N C-1-3-O 110 310 32 79 12 54 .255 .308 .432
  17     2158 7658 1091 2048 389 1376 .267 .345 .476

 







Created by JingleBob, 1999